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Instagram Image Sizes 2026: Posts, Stories, Reels and Profiles

Quick answer

Use 1080 x 1350 pixels for a portrait Instagram feed image, 1080 x 1080 for a square, and 1080 x 1920 for Stories and vertical Reel artwork. Treat these as production canvases. The final crop can change by surface, grid preview, device, and publishing path.

Source check: August 28, 2026. Platform apps, APIs, account types, and third-party publishers can change on different schedules. The final operational check is the preview and public result in the exact path you use.

At a glance

Surface or choiceSize or limitRatio or sourceWhat it means
Portrait feed post1080 x 13504:5Uses more vertical feed space
Square feed post1080 x 10801:1Reliable mixed-format fallback
Story or Reel canvas1080 x 19209:16Leave interface-safe margins
Profile sourceAt least 400 x 4001:1Design for a circular crop
Landscape working canvas1080 x 566About 1.91:1Check the current composer preview

What this page owns

Feed crops, profile crops, Story overlays, and Reel previews are different design problems. Do not place a phone number, price, face, or logo at an edge merely because the source file accepts it.

That ownership boundary matters. Boomp uses one clear page for each search job instead of publishing near-duplicate pages that give different answers to the same question.

A dependable production method

  1. Use one aspect ratio throughout a carousel unless the composer proves otherwise.
  2. Check the profile-grid preview as well as the full post.
  3. Keep Story and Reel text clear of the top and bottom controls.
  4. Use JPEG for photographs and PNG when crisp flat graphics need it.
  5. Review the published crop on a phone.

The last check matters most. A design file, successful export, scheduler acceptance, or API response does not prove that the customer-facing artifact is correct.

Size is only one acceptance test

A technically valid file can still fail the business. Check these questions with the final media and caption together:

  • Is every name, date, price, claim, location, and link current?
  • Does the crop preserve the subject and the useful words?
  • Are captions, contrast, and text alternatives sufficient for the content?
  • Does the business have permission to use the people, customer material, music, footage, and marks shown?
  • Does the call to action match the destination and what happens next?
  • Did a responsible person approve this exact version?

For the full release gate, use the social media content quality checklist.

Where Boomp fits

Boomp fits when the recurring problem is larger than one pixel count. The current first look starts with a public website and returns up to six website-grounded talking points before email. Those talking points are not finished posts and do not prove that Boomp knows the owner's voice. Email saves the first look and continues into post ideas. Finished media and posts belong to paid work, with the customer's approval settings controlling what represents the business.

Give Boomp your public website and review the first talking points before email.

Related guides

Sources checked

Frequently asked questions

Instagram Image Sizes in 2026?

Use 1080 x 1350 pixels for a portrait Instagram feed image, 1080 x 1080 for a square, and 1080 x 1920 for Stories and vertical Reel artwork. Treat these as production canvases. The final crop can change by surface, grid preview, device, and publishing path.

Can I use one image or video size on every social platform?

Not safely. A reusable master can reduce production work, but profile crops, covers, link cards, feed posts, vertical viewers, file limits, and interface overlays differ. Export and preview the version that will appear on each destination.

Why did the platform crop a correctly sized file?

Correct pixel dimensions do not control every display surface. Device width, feed placement, profile grids, preview cards, multi-image layouts, and interface tests can change the visible crop. Keep essential content in a safe central area and inspect the final public post.

See what your website gives us to work with

Enter a public website to get up to six website-grounded talking points. Review them before email; email saves the first look and continues into post ideas. Nothing goes live without your approval.

Get the website-grounded first look

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Instagram Image Sizes 2026: Posts, Stories, Reels and Profiles
KC

Written by Kathleen Celmins

Founder of Boomp. Helping local businesses stay visible on social media without doing the work themselves.